How to Follow Men's Restroom Etiquette

Public bathrooms come with their own protocol -- especially the men's room. Make sure you're not stepping on any toes -- figuratively or literally! -- with these guidelines.

Instructions

TIP: Waving your hand under another person's stall is not the international sign for "I'm out of toilet paper." It's the signal for "Want some action?"

Step 1: Flush, wash your hands, and go. The men's restroom is no place to linger.

FACT: According to a survey, 93 percent of women wash their hands in public restrooms vs. 77 percent of men.

Step 2: If you're in a stall, keep your feet and hands inside your own stall and don't tap your feet. Otherwise, you'll be following a whole different men's restroom etiquette!

Step 3: Do not talk to anyone unless it's a true emergency. And avoid using your phone while you're taking care of business; just because you can talk while your hands are otherwise occupied doesn't mean you should.

Step 4: Pick the urinal farthest from any that are occupied, and be sure to follow the "buffer urinal" rule: Always leave an unoccupied urinal between you and the next person. If the only urinals available are directly next to a fellow restroom patron, wait for another to free up, or use a stall.

Step 5: Look straight ahead as you pee -- watching what you're doing down below is just weird. Watching what someone _else_ is doing is downright disturbing.

Step 6: Avoid all eye contact, from the moment you enter to the moment you leave. Even the smallest glance can be unsettling.